My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 79

“Do we really have to come all the way here?”

“So where were you thinking we should meet?”

“Uh… I don’t really know? This isn’t even our house.”

I followed Alexandra to the Cottage as night fell.

Honestly, it was quite a hassle to walk all the way here… but it wasn’t like there were many good options for a meeting spot.

“Stop being so chaotic and just sit down.”

“Hmm… Did you get blackout curtains so the lights wouldn’t be visible from outside?”

“Ugh… I told you to sit still.”

“The lights here aren’t real, right? You set them up like that to avoid burning the Cottage down.”

“Ugh…”

I had been too busy diving straight into the topic when I first arrived at this Cottage to take a good look around, but this time I was exploring a bit more.

It was a small Cottage, so I didn’t have to walk far to get a good view of everything, and since I had never stayed in a place like this, I was genuinely curious.

As Alexandra brewed tea, I wandered around the Cottage by myself.

Well… it was just a Cottage after all.

“The tea’s ready… now sit down quickly.”

“Okay, okay! Why are you getting all worked up?”

“…Tch.”

“So, what did you want to talk about today? Didn’t we agree not to do anything immediately?”

I was here, but we really didn’t have anything urgent to discuss.

Really, why did she call me over?

After dinner last night, I had quietly read some business documents in my room, and today I just came out because I was summoned.

“Are you planning to have zero information exchange or contact until you become an adult?”

“Um… I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“…?”

“Do we really need to? I still have six years until I become an adult.”

I was currently 12 years old.

Next year, I’ll turn 13 when I go to the Academy and after spending three years there… in two more years, I’ll be 18.

It was still quite a while away.

“And you’re entering the Academy next year, right? Can’t you just send letters there?”

“…No.”

“Really?”

“I’m serious about the proposal I made to you. Even though there’s still some time, I want to be thorough and prepared.”

“Hmm…”

She seemed more serious about this than I expected.

I didn’t really like Christina either, but I hadn’t imagined Alexandra would take it this seriously.

But hey, I was her true sister, and I wasn’t causing her any significant trouble, right?

If Rosalyn were acting like this, it would be somewhat expected, but Alexandra surprised me.

“Why do you dislike Christina?”

“Because I do.”

“…?”

“I just don’t like her for no particular reason.”

“I see…?”

That was a bit… vague.

At the very least, I could tell that Alexandra definitely didn’t like Christina.

Her expression was super grim.

“Hmm… I don’t have any personal contact methods.”

When dealing with business or reaching out to other families, I usually used the name Camelia Leonhardt, sending everything to the Leonhardt Mansion as the address.

I didn’t really have any other way to contact.

“Can’t you just send letters to our house?”

“Given the content of those letters, are you suggesting I just send them?”

“…Is there a problem with that?”

No… Isn’t it okay to just send them?

I had been exchanging regular letters through the mail without any issues until now…?

“The content of the letters is what it is. What if someone happens to see it?”

“Hmm…”

“Even if it’s done through a certified facility, it’s best to be prepared for possible problems.”

“That is true.”

She wasn’t wrong.

Well… I could admit when I was wrong.

But what was I supposed to use for such important letters?

The only thing that came to mind was…

“I can only think of the Information Guild.”

There was nothing else.

Honestly, except for the Information Guild… I felt there was no other way to handle these matters secretly and safely.

In fact, that was about the extent of my knowledge.

“The Information Guild sounds good. I use it quite often.”

“…Then why didn’t we just agree on that from the start?”

“I thought you might have something more in mind.”

“…That’s a bit overestimating me.”

Yeah.

That was a significant overestimation.

Sure, I might be somewhat impressive, but still, it was a big exaggeration.

It was a lot to expect from a 12-year-old kid.

“You have used the Information Guild before, right?”

“Well… I have. Just not specifically for sending letters.”

“Then you’ll need to create a separate name for it… tch…”

“Well, we can just create one. It’s not a difficult thing to do; I’m already one of the customers of the Information Guild anyway.”

“…Yeah, that’s true.”

Well… it was a bit sudden, but it wasn’t anything to interfere too much.

Honestly, it was annoying, but when I next visited the Information Guild, it would be a hassle just to create one, and it was necessary if I wanted to get back at Christina.

Even though I still had six more years.

“…Hey.”

“Yes? What is it?”

While quietly sipping tea, Alexandra called my attention again.

What was she going to say now?

“After you create a new name at the Information Guild, send a letter under the names Rose and Canary.”

“Excuse me?”

“…Please send a letter to Rose and Canary.”

“…Are those names used in the Information Guild?”

“What?”

“…No, I just—”

Honestly, I was taken aback by the suddenness of this.

Rose and Canary… out of nowhere.

“Pfft…”

“…Why are you laughing?”

“It’s nothing. I just thought of something a little funny.”

Rose and Canary…

Rose must refer to our family, and Canary probably refers to that little bird?

I wasn’t really into birds or creatures like that, but I felt pretty sure about that assumption.

…I even thought it showed a bit of cute taste.

“Why do you keep laughing?”

“I’m sorry… So, you’re saying I should create a new name at the Information Guild and then send letters as Rose and Canary?”

“That’s right, but I can’t send letters with a name we haven’t created yet.”

“Hehe… Got it. I will do that.”

It was a bit amusing that she thought such a nickname was just ordinary, but I didn’t bring up why I was laughing.

It would be more fun if she didn’t know, right?

“Hehe…”

“…?”

Oh, does she really not know why I’m laughing?

I thought she was a bit clueless at first, but it seemed more innocent this time.

Well… she might not be as great in personality compared to Rosalyn, but she looked quite cute.

Though she had a habit of scowling, her appearance was somewhat similar to Rosalyn.

Of course, Rosalyn was prettier and looked younger.

“Oh, by the way, we’re planning to head back to the Leonhardt Mansion soon.”

After finishing the tea she prepared, I talked about the arrangements I made with Rosalyn.

It would be better if Christina didn’t know, but it was good for Alexandra to be aware.

“Heading back sounds good.”

“One person really hates my mother and me too, so we had no choice.”

“Seriously, what a crazy person.”

“Hehe.”

Anyway, I wouldn’t have to deal with this person for quite a while now.

I wrapped up the conversation by informing her of the dates for returning to the Mansion and starting at the Academy.

From here on out, we probably wouldn’t see each other much, and we would mainly be keeping in touch through the Information Guild.

*

“Mother, the servants said everything’s ready.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, since returning doesn’t require much preparation at all.”

I was casually chatting with Rosalyn over a light breakfast.

It was a refreshing contrast to how tense it felt during meals with the Rose family… no, with Christina.

“Then we can return to the Mansion now.”

“Looks like it.”

“…Did we end up dealing with a lot of annoying things?”

“I’m fine.”

I genuinely was fine.

It wasn’t like I was directly involved in most of it; Rosalyn was usually the target.

Actually, I was a bit more irritated about that.

“That’s a relief. To be honest, I brought you along, and I was worried we might be leaving on such a bad note.”

“It’s not like that at all. Spending time with you, Mother, was so much fun!”

“Really…?”

“Yes. Riding in the Carriage was nice, and exploring the Rose estate with you was a blast.”

“Then… that’s a great relief.”

Well… if it weren’t for the craziness of the Rose family… it could’ve been way more enjoyable.

Yet, I genuinely appreciated the time spent with Rosalyn.

What’s certain is that if there’s a chance to travel to another estate or area with Rosalyn next time… it would probably be better than this.

While the grand estate hidden in the bushes was indeed pretty and nice to look at, I just disliked the Rose family too much.

“Camelia, should we take some more time to explore the estate a bit before heading back?”

“Shall we?”

“I doubt my parents or sisters will be calling for me much anymore. I want to spend time with you, Camel.”

“If you wish for that, then of course we should go.”

Well, there was nothing to do in the daytime anyway.

In the night… there was that one person causing me to go out at times, but during the daytime, it didn’t matter.

Besides, this was likely one of the last chances I had to explore this place.

It was a good idea to enjoy the remaining activities with Rosalyn and then head home.

“I know a place, other than the Dessert Cafe we went to last time, that I think you’ll really like! It’s probably a sweet place just up your alley.”

“If you say so, it must be true.”

“Hehe… I’m sure you’ll love it because you’re so into delicious sweets.”

“Sweet stuff?”

“Yep. It’s a little different from the place we went last time, but you will definitely like it.”

What a typical Rosalyn move, right?

She definitely knew my tastes well.

Well, since I usually enjoyed sweet desserts quite a bit while staying at the Mansion, it wasn’t surprising that Rosalyn would know that by now.

Sometimes, I had even gone through dessert bans like that time with the shaved ice regulation…

Anyway, the point is that I was feeling a bit cheerful at the thought of spending the next few days roaming around with Rosalyn.

And the fact that the day to part ways with this annoying Rose family was slowly approaching made me feel even better.